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1) What was this plenitude at the moment of death? The immaculate
Mother of God did not die on account of original sin;[2500] her
death, like that of Christ, as we have said, was not the result of
sin but of nature, or of natural consequences, inasmuch as she was
conceived in passible flesh, as Christ was, for man is by nature
mortal.
In union with her Son on Calvary she offered the sacrifice of the
cross and the sacrifice of her own life, and, as St. John
Damascene,[2501] St. Francis de Sales,[2502] and
Bossuet[2503] testify and explain, she died not only in love,
but from love for her divine Son, that is, from a strong desire of
seeing God immediately and forever. In accordance with this final
plenitude of grace and charity, her soul was ultimately disposed for
the beatific vision.
2) The assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. According to
documents of tradition the feast of the Assumption has been solemnly
celebrated both in the Latin Church and in the Greek Church since
the seventh century. But this solemn feast is the liturgical
expression of the ordinary magisterial teaching of the whole Church,
for the law of praying is the law of believing, and this presupposes
that the privilege of the Assumption is certain and at least implicitly
revealed. The Blessed Virgin Mary's entrance into heaven could not
be naturally known with certainty; even though the apostles saw His
body rise from the ground as to its term wherefrom, they did not see it
as to its term whereunto as St. Thomas says of our Lord's
ascension.[2504] Therefore the certainty of the Assumption as
expressed in the institution of this solemn feast can be the result only
of at least implicit revelation.
That this privilege, however, was implicitly revealed, is evident
from especially two traditionally alleged theological reasons. For the
Blessed Virgin Mary according to the angelic salutation was "full of
grace and blessed among women."[2505] But this exceptional
benediction excludes the malediction, "Unto dust thou shalt
return."[2506] Therefore the body of the Blessed Virgin Mary
was under no obligation to suffer the corruption of the tomb.
Moreover, according to the words of Simeon, "And thy own soul a
sword shall pierce,"[2507] the Blessed Virgin Mary was
closely associated on Calvary with Christ's perfect victory over the
devil and sin. Therefore she was associated with Christ's perfect
victory over death, which is a part of the victory over the devil, and
victory over sin follows, inasmuch as "death is the wages of
sin."[2508] But perfect victory over death requires that the
Mother of God "could not have been held down by the bonds of
death."[2509] Therefore this victory requires an anticipated
resurrection and assumption. Thus the privilege of the Assumption
seems proximately definable as one hundred and ninety-seven Fathers of
the Vatican Council postulated. Denzinger also points out:
"Concerning the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the
time of the Vatican Council two hundred and four bishops and
theologians urged its dogmatic definition since, unless we wish to say
that the most firm faith of the Church savors too much of slight
credulity, which it is impious to think, without doubt it is of divine
and apostolic tradition, that is, it must be most firmly held to have
been revealed."[2510]
3) The final plenitude of the Blessed Virgin Mary's grace
received its confirmation in heaven for she was raised "above the
choirs of angels"[2511] as the liturgy says, to the highest
degree of essential glory or of the beatific vision after Christ, as
His worthy Mother, who was intimately associated with Him in the
work of our salvation, and reached the highest degree of charity after
Him. The degree of glory corresponds to the degree of merits acquired
at the end of this life.
But the accidental beatitude of the Blessed Virgin Mary consists in
the intimate knowledge of Christ's glorious human nature, in the
functioning of her office as universal Mediatrix and spiritual mother,
and in the cult of hyperdulia that is owing to her as Mother of God.
To her is attributed the threefold aureole of martyrs, confessors of
the faith, and virgins.
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